Democracy And Its Underlying Aspect - 1509 Words

Most people associate the word â€Å"democracy† with its underlying aspect – freedom. However, the freedom in each society is exercised to the different extent. That is why every democratic society is different. First, let’s define democracy. â€Å"Modern political democracy is a system of governance in which rulers are held accountable for their actions in the public realm by citizens, acting indirectly through the competition and cooperation of their elected representative† (P. C. Schmitter, T. L. Karl 76). The system of governance implies the existence of predictable and routinized pattern of institutions. That is why there is a need for the constitution – the document that outlines the division and distribution of power and constitutes a†¦show more content†¦There are different competing factions that represent interests of various groups and the citizens have to cooperate in order to select candidates, influence policies and make collective decisions concerning the power. According to P. C. Schmitter and T. L. Karl, democracies are not necessarily more effective economically, administratively and have more open economies than other forms of the governance. The purpose of this paper is to show the comparison of two big democratic systems – Canada and the U.S.A., how and on what basis they differ, which form of democracy is more effective, what are the advantages and disadvantages of each. The first and probably the most important difference between Canada and the U.S.A. is the form of governance. Canada’ system of governance is represented by the democracy that combines federal structure and constitutional monarchy. The British Crown is the formal executive that is represented by the Governor General in the capital city of Ottawa and Lieutenant Governor in each province. The role of the monarchy in Canada is symbolic and executed only for ceremonial purposes. For example, the Governor General and Lieutenant Governors are formally appointed by the Queen, whereas in reality it is Canadian Prime Minister’s decision. Prime Minister is the head of the government who truly rules Canada. The Prime Minister rules the country as long as he or she is elected and is appointed by the